For example, there's a place for a certain kind of controller chip that would (if such a controller were soldered in and the software were written to take advantage of it) allow an SPDIF output.
This is just too cool

I asked about push-for-bass/treble controls and Hugo said it hadn't been implemented even though it's possible to do so in the DSP. I briefly and gently made my case for adding such a feature, but didn't harass him about it.
I will add my gentle persuation here too

Then he showed us a web site with a special kind of third-party microphone designed for in-car voice recognition. This nifty mic is mounted on your car's sun visor, and it's actually four mics arranged into a rod that extends across the edge of the visor. It includes its own DSP circuitry to reject noise and improve voice recognition. Unfortunately, the mic is not cheap: it's about $150.00.
So cheap? Price goes beyond the cool factor here!

Hope the squirt goes well Rob, Hugo et al.

____________________________
Murray